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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 001296 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR E, P, EB, EAP/J, EAP/P, EAP/PD, PA; 
WHITE HOUSE/NSC/NEC; JUSTICE FOR STU CHEMTOB IN ANTI-TRUST DIVISION; 
TREASURY/OASIA/IMI/JAPAN; DEPT PASS USTR/PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE; 
SECDEF FOR JCS-J-5/JAPAN, 
DASD/ISA/EAPR/JAPAN; DEPT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USDA 
FAS/ITP FOR SCHROETER; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR; 
CINCPAC FLT/PA/ COMNAVFORJAPAN/PA. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA
 
SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 05/13/08 
 
Index: 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei) 
 
G-8 Labor Ministerial: 
4) G-8 labor ministers meeting in Niigata agree on need to balance 
environment and job expansion, seek better treatment of working poor 
 (Nikkei) 
5) Labor minister in G-8 meeting expresses concern about impact of 
subprime loan mess and high oil prices on jobs  (Yomiuri) 
 
6) Senior MOFA official says that Japan's evaluation of nuclear 
documents released to U.S. official by DPRK will depend on their 
contents  (Yomiuri) 
 
7) "Fukuda vision" for Japan's greenhouse gas reduction already 
myopic, with postponement of setting a mid-term reduction target 
(Nikkei) 
 
8) Cabinet debates establishment of a consumer affairs agency, as 
advocated by Prime Minister Fukuda  (Nikkei) 
 
Political agenda: 
9) Road-related legislation to be re-voted and adopted by the Lower 
House today  (Asahi) 
10) Talks between ruling and opposition camps on road-revenue issue 
difficult to restart  (Yomiuri) 
 
11) Fukuda exhorts junior lawmakers to support his plan to turn 
dedicated gas tax into general revenues  (Nikkei) 
12) Democratic Party of Japan is already readying its campaign 
platform for the next Lower House election  (Nikkei) 
13) DPJ's Kan is not ruling out an Upper House censure motion 
against the prime minister if he does not scrap the system that 
charges the elderly for medical care  (Yomiuri) 
14) Where has the LDP's "control tower" disappeared to?  (Sankei) 
15) Cooperation with former postal rebel Hiranuma, aiming at 
creation of new anti-LDP party, is being welcomed by DPJ Secretary 
General Hatoyama  (Yomiuri) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi, Mainichi, Yomiuri, Nikkei, Sankei, Tokyo Shimbun, and 
Akahata: 
Quake measuring 7.8 in Sichuan kills more than 8,700 in China; Over 
10,000 injured; 900 middle school students trapped under rubble 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) Japanese government must try to convince Burmese junta to accept 
international aid 
(2) Food export controls must be reduced 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Japan Post Bank must practice modesty in housing loan business 
(2) Political decision necessary to promote cluster bomb ban treaty 
 
 
TOKYO 00001296  002 OF 010 
 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Health insurance for elderly needs clarifying 
(2) Broad-based agreement essential in transferring naming rights 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) Japan must demonstrate greater commitment as 
environment-oriented country 
(2) Citigroup under pressure to reduce assets 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Lake Toya Summit: Are the figures pragmatic? 
(2) Childrearing consultation services must be improved 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Microsoft gives up Yahoo takeover bid 
(2) Stricter requirements for owning shotguns needed 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Deployment of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier: Calls for local 
referendum must be answered 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, May 12 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
09:16 
Met with Vice Health Minister Erikawa and Health Insurance Bureau 
Director-General Mizuta at Kantei. 
 
10:08 
Attended the 60th anniversary ceremony on the foundation of the 
maritime safety system held at Palace Hotel. 
 
11:14 
Met at Kantei with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Iwaki, House of 
Councilors member Hirofumi Nakasone. Nakasone remained. 
 
11:52 
Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Futahashi. 
 
12:38 
Met with Vice Foreign Minister Yabunaka, Deputy Foreign Minister 
Sasae, and Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director-General Saiki. 
 
 
13:06 
Attended a liaison meeting of the government and the ruling 
parties. 
 
13:42 
Met with former Prime Minister Nakasone at Sabo Kaikan Hall in 
Hirakawa-cho. 
 
14:21 
Met at Kantei with House of Representatives member Kenichi Mizuno of 
the "Forum to Support the Fukuda Proposal and Realize Moving the 
Revenues for Road Projects into the General Account" and others. 
Afterwards, met with State Minister in Charge of Consumer 
Administration Kishida. 
 
TOKYO 00001296  003 OF 010 
 
 
 
15:21 
Met with Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Motai. Afterwards, met 
with Sumitomo Chemical President Hiromasa Yonekura, chair of the 
Council on the Promotion of Cooperation for TICAD/Japan-Africa 
Exchange Year. 
 
16:14 
Met with Special Advisors to Cabinet Nishimura and Kusaka, and 
Deputy Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretaries Saka and Ando. 
 
17:01 
Attended an executives' meeting in the Diet. 
 
17:22 
Met with former Prime Minister Mori at Sogo Nagata-cho Building. 
 
18:15 
Met with MOFA Economic Affairs Bureau Director General Otabe at 
Kantei. Afterwards, met with Cabinet Intelligence Director Mitani. 
Then met with Futahashi. 
 
19:19 
Arrived at Kantei residence. 
 
4) G-8 labor ministers agree to make environmental protection and 
expansion of employment compatible: Ways to improve labor conditions 
for nonpermanent workers to be explored 
 
NIKKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
A labor ministerial of the Group of Eight (G-8) kicked off in 
Niigata City on May 13.  The governments of the participating 
countries and international agencies agreed to cooperate to maintain 
a balance between efforts to protect the environment, including 
measures to reduce greenhouse gases, and efforts to expand 
employment. The decision will be included in the chairman's summary 
to be formally adopted on the 13th and presented at the G-8 (Lake 
Toya Summit). Participants also agreed that an increase in the 
working poor -- those who work diligently but cannot earn sufficient 
income -- has become a serious social problem. Each country will 
consider measures in the future. 
 
Many believe that measures to combat greenhouse gases, which impose 
such burdens as more capital investment from companies, was a factor 
in worsening the employment situation. However, if new businesses 
like energy-saving housing, solar energy, or wind-power generation 
grow, jobs would be created. Participants agreed to have such a 
concept take root as green jobs. The chairman's summary will 
stipulate ensuring this policy's consistency with labor and the 
global environment by taking relations between the two elements into 
consideration. 
 
Some say that 24-hour retail sales, which impose a night shift labor 
load on employees and emit an enormous amount of carbon dioxide 
(CO2), go against the "green job" concept. Chances are that if moves 
to take concrete measures spread, some form of regulation could be 
introduced in Japan as well. 
 
In Japan, one employee in three is a low-wage non-permanent 
employee, such as a part-timer or a temporary employee. This 
 
TOKYO 00001296  004 OF 010 
 
 
employment pattern is said to be connected to the working-poor 
issue. One reason for the increase in non-permanent employees is 
that facing international competition as a result of economic 
globalization, companies have lowered personnel expenses. 
 
As such, the chairman's summary mentioned that assistance should be 
provided to nonpermanent workers, who are socially vulnerable. This 
will likely boost the move in Japan to strengthen regulations on the 
dispatch of temp staff. 
 
However, American and British participants insisted that a flexible 
labor market is contributing to expanding employment, underscoring a 
difference in the stance of Germany and France, which are calling 
for strengthened regulations. Which stance Japan will take will 
likely come into focus in future discussions on the amendment of the 
Worker Dispatch Law. 
 
5) Labor minister expresses concern about employment due to subprime 
mortgage crisis, sharp rise in crude oil 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
A plenary session of the meeting of labor ministers from the Group 
of Eight nations started yesterday in Niigata City. Participants 
discussed mainly measures to narrow economic disparities stemming 
from globalization. Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi 
Masuzoe expressed concern about the impact of the subprime mortgage 
fiasco and the sharp rise in crude oil prices on employment. He 
underscored that all countries need to work together since their 
labor markets are facing risks. 
 
Representatives of the participating countries shared the perception 
that economic globalization brings about certain benefits, but that 
it is accelerating disparities among regions and workers. The 
meeting also focused on the fact that the working poor, those who 
work but still cannot earn their living, has become a social problem 
in various countries. 
 
6) Japan will evaluate DPRK's nuclear documents based on their 
contents 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
North Korea on May 8 presented documents related to its plutonium 
program to a senior U.S. government official who was visiting 
Pyongyang. Referring to the documents yesterday, the Japanese 
government indicated that it would evaluate them based on their 
contents. Japanese officials, in cooperation with the United States, 
intend to analyze the documents in the weeks ahead to see whether 
they will lead to a complete and accurate DPRK declaration of its 
nuclear programs. North Korea previously stated it would submit such 
a declaration by the end of last year in line with the six-party 
agreement. 
 
Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka told a news conference 
yesterday: "A sizable number of documents have been submitted. The 
U.S. will look closely at them. Japan, while working together 
closely with the U.S., will carefully examine the material to see 
whether they will serve as a basis for a complete declaration." 
 
 
TOKYO 00001296  005 OF 010 
 
 
7) Government to shelve mid-term target for greenhouse gas emissions 
cut, to set long-term one, aiming to take initiative 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
The government decided yesterday to put on hold its plan of setting 
a mid-term target for reducing the nation's greenhouse gas emissions 
from 2020 through 2030. Instead, in the Fukuda vision to be 
announced in early June prior to the Group of Eight (G-8) Summit 
(the Lake Toya Summit) in July, the government will place emphasis 
on a long-term target covering the period until 2050 in a bid to 
demonstrate leadership by coming up with a large-scale cut. On a 
mid-term goal, it has judged it would be difficult to swiftly unify 
views because of the need to form a new international framework to 
fight global warming following the 2012 expiration of the Kyoto 
Protocol. 
 
In the Davos Conference in January, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda 
proposed setting nation-specific targets. Behind the government's 
eagerness to hurriedly come up with a target for cutting domestic 
emissions is its aim to set an example as the chair of the Lake Toya 
Summit and to take the initiative in forming a post-Kyoto mechanism. 
The long-term target is called the "Fukuda vision," so this will be 
the government's highest priority challenge that will affect even 
the prime minister's standing. 
 
On a mid-term goal, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said 
in a press conference yesterday: "Setting a goal within this year is 
premature and is impossible." He indicated that the government would 
conduct discussion, based on progress in negotiations to be held by 
the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the 
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 
 
The focus of discussion at the COP15 will be a post-Kyoto framework. 
This will be closely connected with a mid-term target for slashing 
greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 to 2030. Even if the Japanese 
government plays up its political presence over a mid-term target at 
the Lake Toya Summit, "It may be impossible to involve China and 
India in it, something the prime minister views as important," 
according to a senior official of the Cabinet Office. Additionally, 
setting a mid-term target might incur negative reactions from 
domestic industries. 
 
Under such circumstances, the idea of setting a 60 PERCENT  to 80 
PERCENT  cut in domestic emissions as a long-term goal has emerged 
in the government. In the Heiligendamm Summit in Germany last year, 
an agreement was reached to look into the idea of halving global 
greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, an initiative proposed by former 
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. To achieve this goal, industrialized 
countries will have to reduce their respective emissions by more 
than 50 PERCENT . But if the Japanese government comes up with the 
long-term goal of reducing its emissions by 60 PERCENT  to 80 
PERCENT , Japan will be favorably compared with the European Union 
(EU), which is eagerly tackling the issue. 
 
To make the idea convincing, Japan has to show the means to reach 
the goal. In a subcommittee meeting yesterday of the Council on the 
Global Warming Issue under the prime minister, an emissions-trading 
system, one of the key means to that end, was focused on. From among 
expert members from steel and power companies, views calling for 
prudence were presented in succession. One member said: "The council 
 
TOKYO 00001296  006 OF 010 
 
 
should not reach a conclusion on the introduction of the system." 
 
The decision to postpone a mid-term goal and the deadlock in 
negotiations on the emissions-trading system result from the Fukuda 
cabinet's weakening grip on power. Aides to Fukuda spurred officials 
in charge of the global warming issue in the government agencies 
concerned to step up efforts to tackle the issue, but a senior 
official grumbled: "The prime minister himself will make a final 
judgment; otherwise nothing will be decided." 
 
8) Fukuda instructs consumer affairs minister to launch ministerial 
negotiations on establishing consumer agency 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda called in Minister in Charge of Consumer 
Affairs Fumio Kishida to his official residence yesterday and 
instructed him to launch ministerial-level negotiations on 
establishing a consumer agency to integrate administrative 
functions. The government agencies involved have expressed 
opposition to the shift of authority to a new agency. Attention is 
being focused on whether the current impasse will be broken by the 
prime minister's instruction. 
 
Kishida proposed holding ministerial-level negotiations. In 
response, Fukuda encouraged him, saying: "I want you to proceed with 
the idea. If some cabinet ministers present views different from 
ours, you can tell them that I will meet them." 
 
The Council for Promoting Consumer Policy, chaired by Gakushuin 
University Professor Tsuyoshi Sasaki, has decided to produce within 
this month a report on how the consumer agency should be, based on 
the prime minister's policy. But the Ministry of Economy, Trade and 
Industry, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Ministry of 
Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and other government agencies in 
charge of consumer administration are all cautious about the idea, 
focusing on the fact that the shift of the laws under their 
jurisdiction to the consumer agency will lead to reducing their 
authority. The said council sought their views, but their replies 
were almost a unanimous no. 
 
9) Road tax bill to be readopted today by Lower House 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
In the wake of the House of Councillors' rejection yesterday of a 
bill amending the Road Construction Revenues Special Exemption Law 
-- legislation aimed at enabling the government to continue 
allocating gasoline tax revenues for road construction and other 
road-related projects starting in fiscal 2008 -- the ruling parties 
will take a two-thirds overriding vote on the bill today in a House 
of Representatives plenary session to enact it based on Article 59 
of the Constitution. Prior to this, the government will endorse in a 
cabinet meeting today a policy of ending from fiscal 2009 a 
provision that certain tax revenues be earmarked for road projects. 
 
In yesterday's vote in the Upper House, the legislation was voted 
down by 126 votes, with 108 votes supporting it. The bill was then 
sent back to the Lower House. The ruling coalition adopted yesterday 
a motion calling for taking a revote and presented it to Lower House 
 
TOKYO 00001296  007 OF 010 
 
 
Speaker Yohei Kono. With the enactment of the bill, the system of 
continuing provisional tax rates and of earmarking tax revenues for 
road construction and maintenance for another 10 years will be 
reset. 
 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Deputy President Naoto Kan said in a 
speech yesterday: "The road issue has revealed the distorted 
situation in the central government. We will continue thorough 
debate in the Diet on such issues as the new medical system for the 
elderly." 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told the press last night at the Prime 
Minister's Official Residence (Kantei): "Even if a revote is held on 
the bill, it will be valid for only this fiscal year. I have decided 
not to use the current law from next fiscal year." 
 
10) Resuming road revenue talks between ruling and opposition blocs 
seems difficult 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
May 13, 2008 
 
The opposition-controlled House of Councillors yesterday rejected a 
bill requiring gasoline tax revenues to be exclusively used for 
highway construction and other road-related projects for another 10 
years with a majority vote by the Democratic Party of Japan, 
Japanese Communist Party, and Social Democratic Party. As a result, 
the legislation was sent back to the House of Representatives. In 
the poll, 108 voted for the legislation while 126 against it. The 
government and ruling parties plan to adopt at a cabinet meeting 
this morning a policy to integrate road-related tax revenues into 
the general account starting in fiscal 2009 and then override the 
Upper House's decision with a two-thirds majority in the Lower House 
in the afternoon. The DPJ is expected to attend the session to vote 
against it. 
 
After the legislation cleared the Diet, the ruling camp intends to 
ask the opposition parties to resume talks on road-related revenues, 
but such seems difficult. 
 
(08051303st) Back to Top 
 
 
 
11) PM Fukuda to junior lawmakers: "If we cannot free up 
road-related tax revenues for general expenditures, there is no 
future for our party" 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, meeting yesterday with young ruling 
coalition lawmakers, including House of Representatives member 
Kenichi Mizuno, at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei), 
expressed his strong determination to shift tax revenues earmarked 
for road construction and maintenance to the general account 
starting in fiscal 2009, saying: "If this cannot be implemented, 
there will be no tomorrow for the Liberal Democratic Party and New 
Komeito. So, we will do this at any cost." 
 
Some junior lawmakers in the ruling camp had initially indicated 
their opposition to a revote on a bill amending the Road 
 
TOKYO 00001296  008 OF 010 
 
 
Construction Revenues Special Exemption Law aimed at maintaining 
road-related taxes for another 10 years on the grounds that it would 
contradict Fukuda's policy of freeing up gasoline and other 
road-related tax revenues for general expenditures. Since Fukuda has 
revealed his intention to have his cabinet endorse the policy, most 
of them have now shifted their position to supporting an override 
vote. A senior ruling coalition member commented that there would be 
"no or few rebels." Fukuda told the press corps yesterday: "There is 
no problem in the party." 
 
12) DPJ begins drafting campaign pledges for next Lower House 
election 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Slightly abridged) 
May 13, 2008 
 
The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) assembled 
officials in charge of policymaking from its prefectural chapters in 
a Tokyo hotel yesterday and began debate on drafting of a set of 
campaign pledges for the next House of Representatives election. 
Many representatives from the prefectural chapters called for 
improving the party's policy of giving income compensation to 
individual farmers. Some said that in order to win the next Lower 
House election, which would give the DPJ a chance to take power, 
policy measures for urban areas and support for fiscal resources 
would be needed. So, placing importance on policy for rural areas 
will inevitably be a source of contention. 
 
DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa in a meeting after the debate indicated 
again his intention to hurry up preparations for the election, 
saying in a strong tone: 
 
"Even if the Lower House is not dissolved during the current Diet 
session, there will be no choice but to conduct a general election 
before the end of the year -- in the fall or later. I want you to 
form a government-led by the DPJ." 
 
The DPJ will set reform of the pension system, including measures to 
deal with the pension-record mess, measures to compensate farmers, 
and measures for child allowances as its main campaign pledges as it 
did so in the last Upper House election. In yesterday's meeting, 
referring to the Upper House's measures for supporting agriculture, 
one participant said: "I want the party to strengthen measures for 
the fisheries industry, as well." Many representatives of the 
prefectural chapters said that measures to increase doctors should 
be a priority issue. 
 
However, since the percentage of Lower House members coming from 
electoral districts in urban areas is higher than that of Upper 
House members, Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama expressed concern, 
saying: "Policies focusing on urban areas are important." 
 
13) Opposition bloc paying close attention to government's response 
to bill aimed at scrapping the medical service system for elderly; 
Censure motion against prime minister may be submitted 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
The major opposition Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) Deputy 
President Kan yesterday delivered a speech at a study meeting in 
Tokyo for the party's local assembly members. In the speech, Kan 
 
TOKYO 00001296  009 OF 010 
 
 
referred to the question of a censure motion against Prime Minister 
Fukuda and indicated a plan to make a decision on whether to submit 
such a motion after watching a response by the government and the 
ruling bloc to a bill aimed at scrapping the medical service system 
for the elderly, which the DPJ, along with other opposition parties, 
is going to introduce in the Upper House. Kan noted: "After the bill 
clears the Upper House, we will watch whether the ruling bloc will 
vote down or kill the bill in the Lower House and then take issue 
with the role of the Fukuda cabinet and the ruling bloc." 
 
After the session, DPJ Policy Research Council Chairman Naoshima 
attended a meeting of policy-planning officers from the party's 
prefectural chapters and indicated a plan to hurriedly map out a 
manifesto for the next Lower House election and sought cooperation 
from each prefectural chapter. 
 
14) Where's the LDP's control tower? 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
The approval rating for Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's cabinet has 
fallen below 20 PERCENT  in some public opinion surveys. Chinese 
President Hu Jintao's recent visit to Japan did not help Fukuda 
score points from the perspective of the domestic political 
situation. Instead, Fukuda's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, made his 
presence felt as he touched on the Tibet issue in Hu's breakfast 
meeting with former prime ministers. 
 
The fall of the Fukuda cabinet's support rate was reportedly 
attributed to the restoration of gasoline surcharges and the 
introduction of a new health insurance premium deduction system for 
the elderly. In short, however, that is because the Diet is divided, 
with the ruling bloc dominating its lower chamber and the opposition 
bench controlling its upper house. This has caused national politics 
to malfunction. This explains everything. 
 
The Constitution sets the House of Representatives above the House 
of Councillors. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership was 
therefore strong enough to force things through the Diet. The House 
of Representatives is constitutionally allowed to take a second vote 
on legislative measures for their passage with a concurring vote of 
two-thirds or more of its members present if the House of 
Councillors does not vote on them within 60 days after they are sent 
from the House of Representatives. If the LDP and its coalition 
partner, New Komeito, had passed budget-related bills, including the 
gasoline surcharge bill, by the end of January, all the bills could 
have cleared the Diet before the end of the fiscal year in March. 
 
In that case, the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan 
(Minshuto) would have put up do-or-die resistance by boycotting all 
parliamentary deliberations. However, such a boycott strategy would 
not have been well-received by the public. The Diet might have been 
back to normal in a half month. 
 
On Apr. 27, there was a by-election in Yamaguchi Prefecture's 
District 2 for a seat in the House of Representatives. In that 
election, the LDP candidate was swamped by the DPJ candidate. This 
was also because of an error in the LDP's leadership. The election 
was held with Yoshihiko Fukuda running for Iwakuni City's mayoral 
election in February. Fukuda is the successor to Shinji Sato and one 
of the 83 "Koizumi children" who ran in the 2005 general election 
 
TOKYO 00001296  010 OF 010 
 
 
for the House of Representatives on the privatization of state-run 
postal services. 
 
The DPJ's Hideo Hiraoka, who won the by-election this time, defeated 
Sato in the 2000 House of Representatives election and won the 
following election. The LDP must have known that Hiraoka was a tough 
rival. 
 
The question is whether half of the "Koizumi children" will survive 
the next election for the House of Representatives. In the 2005 
general election over postal privatization, Fukuda defeated Hiraoka 
by a narrow margin of 588 votes. At the time, Hiraoka was elected in 
his proportional representation bloc. Fukuda's defeat in the next 
election was taken for granted. 
 
Fukuda figured it out, and he ran in the Iwakuni mayoral race. If 
the LDP's leadership had offered a higher standing for Fukuda on its 
proportional representation list in the next House of 
Representatives election, the LDP would not have had to go through 
the by-election. 
 
This is the first time for Japan to experience a divided Diet in the 
postwar era. As it stands, the LDP must be scrupulous and dynamic 
enough to break down its old paradigms, or it cannot respond. The 
grand coalition initiative was part of it. However, it fell 
through. 
 
The LDP also has no effective control tower or staff office to 
script a scenario for the political situation as a whole. The 
governing party's crisis goes beyond the outcome of a by-election. 
 
15) DPJ Secretary General Hatoyama looks forward to joining hands 
with Hiranuma 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
May 13, 2008 
 
The major opposition Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) Secretary 
General Hatoyama yesterday spoke of former Minister of Economy, 
Trade and Industry Takeo Hiranuma's remarks, in which he said he may 
organize a new party before the next Lower House election. Hatoyama 
expressed hope of teaming up with Hiranuma, telling reporters, "I 
hope to see both of us work together with the aim of bringing about 
a dramatic change to Japanese politics." 
 
DONOVAN